Everyone Else is a Returnee

Apocrypha (4)

Secret File, Dark History - 4

The Angel smiled, putting well-done black pork belly on Yoo Il-Han's bowl.

"Eat a lot," the Angel said.

"Uh, yeah, uh..." Il-Han muttered.

But he ate much slower than usual.

The Angel asked with a worried face.

"What's wrong? Is it tasteless?"

"No, it tastes great."

Yoo Il-Han looked around.

Everyone in the restaurant was fixed on him.

To be exact, to the beautiful Angel sitting in front of him. Her wings were gone without a trace, but she was still Angel.

'This kind of cartoon-like thing actually happens.'

Even a celebrity wouldn't get so much attention, but the Angel seemed to be beyond the limits of beauty. People were constantly attracted to her, even with a pork belly in front of her. It was the only attention Il-Han had ever gotten as he used to come to a restaurant alone.

"I'm not used to getting people's attention," Il-Han remarked.

"Huh. That's funny. You'll soon be in the spotlight," the Angel commented with a sweet smile.

"That's really funny," he replied.

The first time he ate outside with someone other than his parents, he received attention from people. But, in fact, the Angel right in front of him felt like a family only a day after he met her. She seemed to be his sister, who tell him good things, say the right things, and guide him.

'It doesn't make any sense.'

Yoo Il-Han ate the pork belly while snorting at his thoughts. Anyway, he thought it was very delicious.

"Is it okay to come to such a crowded place, Mirae?" Il-Han asked.

"It's okay because I booked a room," the Angel replied.

Yoo Il-han heard voices of those he had faced somewhere before, but he didn't look back. He could know who they are without looking back at them.

'Those are the girls before!'

"What's the matter, do those girls bother you?" the Angel asked.

"No, I had lunch with them at the same restaurant earlier," Il-Han replied.

"It's fate," the Angel teased, but Il-Han firmly shook his head.

"No."

The Angel smiled gladly, but Il-Han countered coldly.

"You can't use the word 'fate' anytime because many single people believe in the word falsely and point it at someone they've never seen before, and then they go down with a broken heart."

"Uh, oh...?"

Il-Han spoke enthusiastically that made the Angel feel embarrassed.

"Pick up the wallet? Sent text messages to the wrong person? Saved someone about to be hit by a car? No matter how close you think it is, it's not fate, but coincidence. Only when he or she has not that glamorous appearance without getting too much pressure, that word could be used," Il-han explained.

"Hmm. I'm sorry. But you're handsome like your father," the Angel replied.

This woman was dangerous. She was complimenting Yoo Il-Han!

Yoo Il-Han didn't expect she would use such a high-level trick. Thus, he answered again, solidifying the barrier in his mind.

"I-I am not very handsome."

Il-Han stammered!

Yoo Il-Han realized his inexperience.

'To stand alone as a loner, I must be able to respond to unexpected compliments calmly. If I get caught in a trap and react positively, I will only have an infinite chain of ridicule and exclusion!'

Recalling Socrates' famous words over and over again, Il-Han vowed and vowed to continue to be as objectively aware of himself as possible. The Angel sighed in dismay at him hardening his mind right away.

"Whoa, I'm worried about your future. You will be very popular..." the Angel remarked.

However, Yoo Il-han snubbed her comment and focused on the food.

"It's delicious. You eat, sister."

Yoo Il-Han ignored the Angel's sweet talk and put meat on her spoon.

"Huh, wow, Mirae! Mirae! The man before! The man before! He's having a meal with the most beautiful lady!"

"Na Yoo-Na, don't shout out loud and come this way... Ah."

Eventually, the girls found them out because all the eyes inside the restaurant were on the Angel.

Tactless, Miss Blind saw Yoo Il-Han and tried to rush to him, waving her hand. But Miss Cool grabbed her tightly and dragged her to the other side.

"...Argh!"

Then, Miss Cool glanced at Yoo Il-Han. He got emotional because her eyes were filled with surprise.

'What's that look? Are you surprised that I'm eating with such a pretty girl?'

He felt like she was looking down on him for no reason, but he rapidly calmed down the next moment. Because he didn't get along with this Angel as she might think he is．

'Maybe I was feeling superior in comparison to myself in the fact that I was having dinner with an Angel?'

Even this mature reflection passed through his mind. He had the urge to jump up from his seat and explain what happened today to Miss Cool to avoid misunderstanding.

'But I might look too much of a jerk, so let's stop it.'

'What am I going to do with the commentary?'

'Would I only have the consequences of being miserable?'

No matter how much Miss Cool misunderstood him, Il-Han had no reason to step up and persuade her. He wasn't related to her anyway. Communication was only for when someone wanted something from others. A loner didn't want anything from others. Therefore, communication was meaningless to a loner.

Il-Han felt lighthearted. He conveyed his thought to the Angel in front of him.

"I learned a lot, thanks to you today," Il-Han remarked.

"If you look so satisfied, I will be worrisome..."

The Angel replied such but smiled with great pride at the way Yoo Il-Han thanked her.

"Do you want more meat? I'll buy you everything," the Angel asked.

"Deal! Let's enjoy it infinitely. Please give us more Jeju black pork..." Il-Han exclaimed.

It was an example of successful communication right now, but Yoo Il-Han didn't realize it．

"What? He had a girlfriend?" the Angel asked.

"Mirae, do you really care about him...?" Il-Han queried back.

"What are you talking about? Have some meat," the Angel replied and offered more meat at his plate.

"Huh! Yum, yum, it's delicious. Aah!" Il-han nodded heartily.

"Yes, eat a lot," the Angel encouraged.

"Enjoy! Jeju black pork..."

"Don't do that."

***

That evening, Yoo Il-Han, who had finished his meal, returned to his house. Of course, no one cared about him moving alone, and he went to the assigned room as naturally as toothpaste hid in mint ice cream. After taking a rest, he changed clothes and entered the bath. What's more relaxing was he was able to use the bathtub.

"Whoo!"

Drenched in water, Il-Han recalled what had happened today. It was familiar that he became a loner upon arrival on Jeju Island, so even if he put it aside, it was a very shocking event when a beautiful woman suddenly sat on her lap in the restaurant. Of course, he didn't dare compare it with the Angel he met afterward.

'I killed three monsters today.'

Earlier in the day, after catching a bird, he hunted two more monsters with the Angel. She had carried him like a pack, to be exact, while he thrusted a spear into the monsters.

Nevertheless, the fact that he had taken lives remained unchanged.

'I still can't believe it, but...'

Being back in such a peaceful place, everything that had happened today seemed like a dream, but it was certainly a vivid reality. Yoo Il-Han was not foolish enough to escape reality, deeming what he had done as a dream.

We're going to hunt another one at night.

Il-Han remembered what the Angel had said before she had left. After taking a bath, it would be the right time.

"I heard Chui Tofu in class three is going to confess his love for Min Ha-Yul today."

"Chui Tofu? Oh, Chu Do-Bin. He is such a dick."

"They are very different. Min Ha-Yul isn't the sister next door."

"Moron, is the sister next door easy?"

"We are betting now, but there's no one betting on the success of his confession."

"There's no fool who would bet there. It's bound to fail."

"Let's have a drink. I heard you brought a lot to class two."

"Didn't you say you got caught, and all the drinks were taken away?"

Those boys were gossiping about someone's confession to a pretty girl. They were talking about drinking behind teachers. However, Il-Han was going to fight against monsters.

Yoo Il-Han made a 'Hick!' sound because it was so funny, but of course, no one heard, or if someone did, they pretended not to hear it.

He came out of the bath and changed his clothes.

"Ahh!"

When he came out to the lobby and approached the window, he felt the wind. The rooms in Jeju Island was cooler than he had thought. Feeling the night breeze touching his red-hot cheeks, Yoo Il-Han stood still for a moment.

Soon enough, he zipped up the hoodie to block the cold air.

"Uh, Yoo Il-Han."

Someone called him. Unfortunately, it was Min Ha-Yul, a female student who was the main character of the gossip in the bathtub earlier. She looked as if she had taken a bath. Her skin was milky-white while her cheeks were red.

"I couldn't find you today," Ha-Yul remarked.

"No, I was here," Il-Han refuted.

"You went AWOL alone again, didn't you?" Ha-Yul asked.

"Don't do anything individually," she added.

"I was here," Il-Han insisted.

"You're lying."

Min Ha-Yul approached with a giggle. She had two cans of coffee in her hand, and she held one of them out to Yoo Il-Han.

"Do you want some?" Ha-Yul offered.

"Why did you pick two?" Il-Han asked.

"Chu Do-bin gave them to me earlier," she replied.

Yoo Il-Han didn't want to take it for her words, but Min Ha-Yul gave it to him to share the bad feeling. Yoo Il-Han responded to Min Ha-Yul while accepting the drink with a wistful eye.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"I already dumped him, anyway," Ha-Yul remarked.

"Shit, it's going to get worse!" Il-han exclaimed.

But since canned coffee was not guilty, Il-Han decided to drink it. Unintentionally, he knew the outcome of the bet in advance and thought for a moment about betting on them, but then quit. No one would recall his bet.

"Don't do anything personal tomorrow because I'm going to tell the teacher," Ha-Yul threatened.

"I won't," Il-Han replied.

"Oh, you will," she insisted.

Some people like Min Ha-Yul approached Yoo Il-Han, who had always been a loner. Of course, it was just a little bit more frequently than others, and most of them couldn't find him. He had no choice but to better get along with them．

What they wanted was the reputation of 'I'm a good person who could talk with everyone, even loners.'

If he antagonized them needlessly, things would be complicated. A wise loner was not a man who had no contact with the outside, but a man who could sometimes overcome contacting the outside.

"You won't find me tomorrow," Il-Han remarked.

"I knew it! You're definitely trying to get out. Hmm... Then, take me with you. I thought I was bored to death today," Ha-Yul requested.

Take you? To the place for hunting monsters?

"No, it's dangerous," Il-Han warned.

Min Ha-Yul burst into laughter when he forgot to answer casually, but answered seriously.

"Oh, that's funny... Why are you so serious? My heart flutters."

After laughing for a while, she said with a faint smile．

"I'm kidding. You don't know, but everyone will know when I'm out," Ha-Yul remarked.

"Of course," Il-Han replied.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Il-Han just said it was obvious because it was obvious. But Min Ha-Yul glanced at him and latched on.

"You mean I'm so pretty that I get attention?"

"Are you drunk by caffeine? Good night, I'm going," Il-Han remarked.

"Wait, you... Huh? Why are you going outside?" Ha-Yul asked.

Fortunately, Il-Han threw the empty can into the trash and made a goal. Then, he came out of the hotel.

"I wish you had talked to my friend more."

The Angel was waiting for him.

"Friend? No."

"You said that again... You seem to like me very much."

"Angel is not versatile."

Yoo Il-Han dismissed Angel's words with a snort, but the Angel looked at him with a stuffy look.

"What kind of evil creature instilled this stereotype in you? How can you say that when she was glaring at you? She was saying she likes you and asking you out!" the Angel exclaimed.

"Why are you so optimistic about the world? If I make a confession love to her by a can of coffee, all the students will make fun of me. I'm just being smart enough," Il-Han replied, realizing the bitter truth.

"I'm so worried about your future!"

The Angel was wise in some sense.

It was the devil with the spiky tail that had instilled such a nasty stereotype in him in the distant past.

"Go get the monster. Give me a spear."

"Whew... Yes. I'll give you a fishing rod for now."

"......fishing? Why fishing?"

"Be cautious."

The Angel said, shining her eyes.

"We're going to get Moby Dick from now on."